Mentally preparing yourself to maintain

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  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    maxit wrote: »
    Intermittent maintenance and very small deficit doesn't seem like a bad way to go, actually. I decided in late March to accept where I was and maintain - I track daily but I eat and move differently each day - some days I am "over" and some I am "under" and while I generally am within 50 calories of meeting CICO according to my 30-day rolling horizon, I lost a pound and a half over the last six weeks.

    Thanks! I guess isnt a bad thing to be in a deficit every now and then when it's not a very large one. I can't say I ever go under 1600 a day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    edited May 2015
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    terar21 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't know anyone who is 100% happy with their physique...not a single person.

    Sadly true. I do realize I'm being unnecessarily hard on myself.

    Also, improving physique doesn't necessarily mean dieting...actually incessant dieting is going to have the opposite effect as you will ultimately start burning off muscle mass with little fat to burn.

    I spent a good 1.5 years in maintenance and while my weight stayed roughly the same, my physique changed considerably with a good lifting program. My fitness level went through the roof when I went to maintenance and my lifting improved...I was able to do more and my body benefited from that...extra energy (calories) were what made all of that happen. Basically i continued to drop some fat and improved my muscle mass.

    I went from 15ish% BF to around 10ish% BF over the course of 1.5 years doing a re-comp and eating maintenance...maintained a weight of roughly 180 Lbs. I did a bulk cycle in the fall and through the winter and I"m now cutting again...it looks like I should hit 12ish% at 185 or so which is a good BF% for me and one that I'm comfortable with.

    The key is good programming, good nutrition, and patience. Fitness body's are made by living a fitness lifestyle....and you'll always be working on some aspect of your fitness and/or physique.

    ETA: start developing some fitness goals that are independent of weight loss or fat loss or physique...do the things you need to do to achieve those goals and the rest will fall into place.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    Than
    TraceyLynn089 wrote: »
    I struggle with the same thing! I reached what was my "final" goal weight and have maintained that for a long time now; however, I still have fat that I hate and know that my body could be drastically improved. On occasion I will convince myself that I need to get the fat off and start restricting my calories and start losing a few pounds before re-convincing myself that I am being too critical of myself. It is a vicious little cycle. I wonder to myself if being critical on myself and taking of the rest of the extra weight is realistic. Will that even make me happy? I am a runner and I exercise regularly and am at a healthy weight. But I love to eat and love my sweets and I don't know that I could happily maintain at a much lower weight.

    I read an article that talked about "happy" weight that I find to be helpful and have to remind myself about. I still have fat that I want to lose; however, after reading this it made me realize that my body doesn't necessarily need to be perfect and completely lean. As long as I am healthy and happy where I am then that is all that matters. Here is a snippet from the article explaining how you can determine if you have found your "happy" weight:

    Be Mindful Of Your ‘Happy Weight’

    More than anything, determining the weight at which you’re happiest is really about being mindful and making healthy decisions.

    But to recap, here’s the general recipe for determining those happy weights:
    •You fall in (or close to) the “lean”BMI category.
    •You’re not constantly stressed about food choices, or maintaining a hyper-specific number on the scale.
    •You’re eating balanced meals, healthfully and mindfully.
    •You feel comfortable in your clothes, and your waist circumference is less than 35 inches if you’re a woman and less than 40 inches if you’re a man.

    Put simply? Aim to wake up everyday in a normal weight range, where you will naturally feel great in your body. “A healthy weight is the weight that’s best for you, not necessarily the lowest weight you think you can be,” says Popeck. “It is a weight in a range related to good health.”

    And it’s sustainable — ideally forever, to up your odds of stable, good health. “Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life is really the best,” Popeck says.

    When in doubt, the smart approach to your best weight ever is actually no secret, says Popeck. “It’s common sense,” she says. “A healthful lifestyle, which includes regular physical activity as well as an eating pattern chosen for variety, balance, and moderation makes all the difference.”

    Don’t worry; be healthy. You’ll probably be happier, too.

    https://www.yahoo.com/health/how-to-find-your-happy-weight-108652123452.html

    Hope this helps you!!

    thanks! That did help!
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I'm in the same boat. Been maintaining since last July at 133 pounds, give or take 2/3 pounds... while trying to lose 3 pounds. I like the way I look, my legs look great and my arms as good as they will (I have some residual loose skin so small bat wings) but I still have too much fat on my hips (and stomach, but I have so much loose skin there that it's hard to tell exactly) and want to lose it... so I keep a permanent deficit. But I know that some days I end up going over because I'm hungrier, so I keep a bigger deficit that I reach 3-4 days a week (400ish). I typically manage to have a 1000-1500 deficit most weeks, but I always end up hungrier when I finally get under 132 pounds and end up regaining a pound (plus PMS screws me over badly every month too because I'm pretty much starving for a week).

    Honestly? At this point I figure I will NEVER eat at maintenance. I always have weeks over and weeks under, and it balances out. If I start eating at maintenance, I'm sure I'll end up gaining.

    ETA: for what it's worth I think you look amazing.

    You bring up a really good point. Perhaps if we want to be comfortable, there's just a certain weight we can't go below with really struggling to maintain that. I was smaller at one point (I guess we all were lol) and gained over time. I think it'd be a struggle for me to go back to that original point now. I don't think id even try to shoot for it.

    And thank you :smile:
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    stormfront98 wrote: »
    I believe we all have goals in managing our weight and walking the line without obsessing over it . If you want to keep motivated for a few months seasonal take out that outfit you look absolutely hot in.. if it still fits and looks great. perfect keep maintaining but if your feeling the tight with your face turning red.. ...enough said lol .. cardio..

    that simple huh? I like the strategy lol.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    dopeysmelly wrote: »
    It took a while to get used to maintaining both mentally and physically. I got to my target weight and decided to let my body adjust to the new size (a lot of the skin firmed up and my turkey neck went, for example, plus it allowed me to focus on setting fitness goals). Mentally, I said to myself that I'd try maintaining for 6 months and see how I felt after I'd had time to adapt. You don't have to stay at our current weight for ever, so it's not a decision you have to take right now. It's not as though you can't lose a few pounds at some later date if you decide that it would work for you.

    Thanks. Maybe I'll try it through the same maintaining. I guess I keep getting caught up in that "cut for summer" crap.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    Basically I had planned to lose just a few more lb, but it got to the point where I would have to sacrifice my strength and my weight lifting to be able to cut calories enough to lose more, and I said, well, it's not worth doing that, so I'll stay right here. I felt like building muscle was more important than getting any thinner.

    I do think I've reached the point where I'll have a strength sacrifice if I lose more. That's what made me think I should hit maintenance (I'm technically a few pounds away from what I set as my goal weight). I've put too much work and hitting my lifting goals are very important to me.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    Lift heavy things. I am the same weight I was on January 7, 2014, but I have 2% less body fat and will soon need dress pants one size smaller than I have. You have to give yourself permission to eat enough to do the work and realize that you may gain a few pounds while losing inches. When I got to 162, I cut back to get to 157 again. My health insurance rates are based partially on my BMI and 157 is the number they like. For the next 10 months, I plan to try to add more muscle and then I'll cut again for the HR health police. I won't go over 165 the whole time. Well, I.expect not to, I didn't this year.


    Thanks for the advice! I've been lifting for a little over half a year now so i do plan to continue it if I go into maintenance.
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    terar21 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't know anyone who is 100% happy with their physique...not a single person.

    Sadly true. I do realize I'm being unnecessarily hard on myself.

    Also, improving physique doesn't necessarily mean dieting...actually incessant dieting is going to have the opposite effect as you will ultimately start burning off muscle mass with little fat to burn.

    I spent a good 1.5 years in maintenance and while my weight stayed roughly the same, my physique changed considerably with a good lifting program. My fitness level went through the roof when I went to maintenance and my lifting improved...I was able to do more and my body benefited from that...extra energy (calories) were what made all of that happen. Basically i continued to drop some fat and improved my muscle mass.

    I went from 15ish% BF to around 10ish% BF over the course of 1.5 years doing a re-comp and eating maintenance...maintained a weight of roughly 180 Lbs. I did a bulk cycle in the fall and through the winter and I"m now cutting again...it looks like I should hit 12ish% at 185 or so which is a good BF% for me and one that I'm comfortable with.

    The key is good programming, good nutrition, and patience. Fitness body's are made by living a fitness lifestyle....and you'll always be working on some aspect of your fitness and/or physique.

    ETA: start developing some fitness goals that are independent of weight loss or fat loss or physique...do the things you need to do to achieve those goals and the rest will fall into place.

    I guess I've just let all the cut/bulk blogs go to my head and get stuck in the "recomp is long" mentality. I do want my lifting to improve and my runs are clearly better the day after I had a solid eating day.

    Maybe it is time for focus on nutrition, fitness goals, and let the body just progress without having to be in a deficit.

    Yeah....I think you all have helped convince me. Maintenance and keying in on my macros. Body fat percentage is what really drives me rather than a specific weight.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    So i didnt read through all the posts but the section about your height and weight in regards to body fat caught my eye. Just to give you and idea. Im a 5'6" male that weighs 125 pounds. My body fat is probably in the single digits so i would say those numbers are accurate if your 5'2" and weigh 128.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Some great replies already, I'm not sure I have the answer either lol...8 months into maintenance I chop and change between eating at TDEE for a number of weeks and then back to cutting for a few weeks when scale teeters above my goal range.
    If you're lifting and already seeing good results from that you're doing ok.
    I will add that at 128 for your height is very slim, I'm the same height and currently 134lbs - My bf % is 25, i'm pretty lean as I do a lot of running (my pref) combined with some strength training.
    Focus on your fitness and the rest will fall into place :smile:
  • kpodaru
    kpodaru Posts: 133 Member
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    when i finally fit into my goal pants (high school jeans), got the definition i wanted and lost all the weight, that's when i knew it was time to maintain and just reduced the intensity of my workouts. i still eat clean, rarely "cheat" on meals and workout every day. it wasn't like i "switched over" to maintain but i just kept on doing what i was doing -- this is how i now live my life and i continue to live it this way. to this day, 3 years after i started, i haven't gained the weight back but have actually lost more inches due to starting a new workout routine.

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